Getting to Know Victoria's Early Days

In the vicinity of the Royal BC Museum are several cultural attractions. Collectively called the Cultural Precinct, it consists of the Thunderbird Park and the historic sites built on it, such as the Wawadit’la (Mungo Martin House), the Helmcken House, St. Anne’s Schoolhouse, and the Netherlands Centennial Carillon.

Thunderbird Park, just next to the museum and established in 1940, takes its name from the mythological Thunderbird of Indigenous North American cultures, which is depicted on many totem poles. The park was created when a display of totem poles from the provincial museum’s collection was erected at the corner of Belleville and Douglas Streets as part of a conservation program to preserve the region’s deteriorating Indigenous art. The anthropology curator of that time hired Chief Nakapankam (also known as Mungo Martin), considered as the Kwagu’l nation’s finest carver, to be the project’s lead and master carver. 

Over the years, the original poles, with the exception of the heraldic pole in front of the Wawadit’la House and another more recent honouring pole, were moved to inside storage for protection and replaced by replicas. Still, the totem poles stand tall and proud, each one distinct in colour and intricate carvings, telling unique stories and honouring the families they represent.

(Trivia: Totem poles are a central, iconic feature of Indigenous cultures along the Pacific Northwest coast, specifically in British Columbia, Canada, but are also found in southeastern Alaska and parts of Washington state. These monuments are created by First Nations of the Pacific Northwest to represent and commemorate ancestry, histories, people, or events. And personally, these are the objects that remind me of the West Coast and my nine years of living there. The Indigenous peoples of Eastern Canada do not erect totem poles.)

The Wawadit’la is a house that was built in 1941 to replace the original Northwest Coast-style house standing on the property. The old house had a façade painting that inaccurately represented the Indigenous peoples. Inside, it featured a hodgepodge of original carvings from different communities haphazardly put together in a very inauthentic way. To correct this, the anthropology curator also commissioned Mungo Martin to build a new house that would accurately represent the culture and traditions of the Indigenous peoples in British Columbia and would serve as a display piece.

The new house is a smaller replica of the Chief’s famous “big house” in Fort Rupert and was opened to the public in 1953. Despite some modernized features, this house maintains authenticity in its design and style of construction. Finely finished logs create the framework of the impressive building and cedar walls and roof planks are attached. The central hearth releases its smoke to the world through the smoke hole in the roof whenever the house is in use.

Though considered Mungo Martin’s personal property (the posts bear his family’s hereditary crest and legal ownership remains within his family), the house, with the permission of the family, is also used for Indigenous events and as a meeting place for urban Indigenous people practicing their culture. Guests are also welcome to learn about and participate in their living traditions.

The Helmcken House, on the other hand, was built by Dr. John Sebastian Helmcken in 1852. He was the first doctor in Victoria and he worked as a surgeon for the Hudson’s Bay Company. He later married the Governor’s daughter and went on to become a statesman. One of his legacies is his effort in negotiating British Columbia’s entry into Canada as a province. His house is one of the oldest houses in British Columbia and it is actually still sitting on its original site. Inside, visitors can look at his 19^th-century medical kit, kept fully intact.

St. Anne’s Schoolhouse, built in 1844, may be the oldest building still standing in Victoria. It was constructed in the Hudson’s Bay Company’s Red River style by Jacques Lequechier, then purchased in 1853 by the Roman Catholic Bishop, and turned into a school house run by four Sisters of St. Anne in 1858. The sisters donated this house to the museum in 1974.

Nearby is the Netherlands Centennial Carillon. It was a gift from British Columbia’s Dutch community to honour Canada’s 100th birthday in 1967. It is housed at the top of the tower which stands 27 meters. This carillon, the largest in Canada, has 62 bells.

To play, the musician or carilloneur has to climb the 75 steps of the spiral staircase, followed by a 10-step steep ladder to sit at the clavier (the specialized wooden keyboard). There, the carilloneur depresses the clavier’s keys and pedals to sound the bells and play a song. It takes a special training (and physical effort, I would imagine) to do this. The pitches of several bells commemorate different specific events.

Nowadays, the carillon plays automated seasonal themes during the day, heard throughout the Inner Harbour area. On Sundays in the summer, the official Provincial Carilloneur holds concerts.